Jason Newsted Height, Weight, Age, Spouse, Family, Facts, Biography

Publish date: 2024-06-16
Jason Newsted Quick Info
Height6 ft 2 in
Weight83 kg
Date of BirthMarch 4, 1963
Zodiac SignPisces
SpouseNicole Leigh Smith

Jason Newsted is an American singer, songwriter, record label owner, TV personality, and musician best known as the bassist of the heavy metal band Metallica between October 1986 and January 2011. He joined James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, and Kirk Hammett, after the untimely death of a previous bassist, Cliff Burton on September 27, 1986. Before he joined the band, Jason was also the bassist, songwriter, and singer for a thrash/progressive metal band, Flotsam and Jetsam between 1981 and 1986. As part of Metallica, he made his 1st appearance on their EP, $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re-Revisited (1987) and then on their 4th studio album, …And Justice for All (1988). He also played bass guitar for the studio albums such as Metallica (1991), their best selling album as well as Load (1996), ReLoad (1997), and the compilation album Garage Inc (1998). Jason was also featured on live concert releases Live Sh*t: Binge & Purge (1993) and Cunning Stunts (1997), where he also sang backing vocals and parts of songs.

In January 2001, he 1st proposed that Metallica should take a 1-year hiatus and when band members disagreed, he quit the band just as they were preparing to record their 8th studio album. He began funding 2 of his own side projects, bands Echobrain and Voivod. As part of the 1st one, Jason released a studio album titled Echobrain (2002) and an EP, Strange Enjoyment (2002), while with the latter he released 3 studio albums, Voivod (2003), Katorz (2006), and Infini (2009). He was also a member of the supergroup created for the CBS TV show, Rock Star: Supernova (2006) titled Rock Star Supernova and released a debut self-titled album the same year. Jason also made guest appearances or was a part of bands such as Moss Brothers, Papa Wheelie, and IR8/Sexoturica, and made guest appearances as a bassist on studio albums by Sepultura and Unkle. In December 2012, he formed his own band and named it Newsted. After the release of their debut EP, Metal (2013), the guitarist named Mike Musholk joined the band, and they released their debut studio album, Heavy Metal Music in August 2013. He also created an acoustic group titled Jason Newsted and the Chophouse Band in August 2016.

Born Name

Jason Curtis Newsted

Nick Name

Jason “Newkid”, Jasonic, Jaylor

Sun Sign

Pisces

Born Place

Battle Creek, Michigan, United States

Residence

Walnut Creek, California, United States

Nationality

American

Education

Jason attended Gull Lake High School in Richland, Michigan, United States.

Occupation

Musician, Singer, Songwriter, Record Label Owner, TV Personality

Family

Manager

Jason Newsted is represented by the Chophouse Records (Company) in Walnut Creek, California, United States.

Genre

Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, Hard Rock, Progressive Metal, Alternative Metal

Instruments

Vocals, Guitar, Bass Guitar, Percussions, Theremin

Labels

Build

Slim

Height

6 ft 2 in or 188 cm

Weight

83 kg or 183 lbs

Girlfriend / Spouse

Jason Newsted has dated –

  • Nicole Leigh Smith (2001-Present) – After 11 years of dating, he married an artist named Nicole Leigh Smith in a ceremony in October 2012. He referred to her as “the love of his life” and credited her for encouraging him to start with one of his favorite hobbies, painting.

    • Race / Ethnicity

    White

    He is of German, Irish, Scottish, Dutch, and English descent, and also has some distant Welsh and Cornish ancestry.

    Hair Color

    Dark Brown

    Eye Color

    Blue

    Sexual Orientation

    Straight

    Distinctive Features

    Brand Endorsements

    Jason Newsted became an official supporter of the non-profit organization Little Kids Rock in 2004.

    Best Known For

    First Album

    Jason Newsted, as part of the band Flotsam and Jetsam, released his debut studio album, Doomsday for the Deceiver on July 4, 1986, and also wrote most of the lyrics. It consisted of 10 tracks in total titled Desecrator, Fade to Black, Doomsday for the Deceiver, Metalshock, She Took an Axe, U.L.S.W. (Ugly Lying Stinking Wench), Der Fuhrer, Flotzilla, Hammerhead, and Iron TeAars.

    After he joined Metallica in October 1986, Jason Newsted released his 1st and the band’s 4th studio album, …And Justice for All on August 25, 1988. The album peaked at the 6th spot on the US Billboard 200 chart and at the 4th spot on the UK Albums Chart. It consisted of 9 tracks in total titled Blackened, One, Harvester of Sorrow, The Frayed Ends of Sanity, To Live Is to Die, Dyers Eve, …And Justice for All, Eye of the Beholder, and The Shortest Straw.

    In 2001, as part of the rock band Moss Brothers, released his debut studio album, Electricitation. It consisted of 12 tracks in total titled Whiner, From This Place, Electricitation, TV Crisis, Frustration, Off The Charts, Three-Hour Day, Psychomonkey, Earth Quakes, Out Of School Anti-Blues, A Promise Is A Promise, and Heaven Got Overpopulated.

    Jason Newsted, as part of the rock band Echobrain, released his debut studio album Echobrain on March 5, 2002. It consisted of 10 tracks titled Colder World, The Feeling Is Over, Spoonfed, Adrift, Keep Me Alive, Ghosts, SuckerPunch, Highway 44, Cryin’ Shame, and I Drank You.

    Jason Newstead formed a band with his neighbor who was also a bike shop owner and titled it Papa Wheelie. In 2002, he released their debut studio album titled Unipsycho, under his own label, Chophouse Records. It consisted of 10 tracks in total titled The Real Me, Unipsycho, Fire Face, Through The Night, Shifter, Head First, On & On, Never The Liar, and Givin’ It Back. The 10th track was split into 3 parts titled Lay Low, (silence), and Untitled.

    Jason Newsted, after he joined the thrash/progressive metal Canadian band, Voivod, released his 1st and the band’s 10th studio album, Voivod on March 4, 2003. It was released through Jason’s own record label, Chophouse Records and also on his birthday. It consisted of 13 tracks in total titled Facing Up, Blame Us, Real Again?, Rebel Robot, The Multiverse, I Don’t Wanna Wake Up, Les Cigares Volants, Divine Sun, Reactor, Invisible Planet, Strange and Ironic, We Carry On, and Gasmask Revival.

    For the purpose of a reality-TV series, Rock Star: Supernova, Jason formed the hard rock supergroup, Rock Star Supernova with Tommy Lee from Mötley Crüe and Gilby Clarke from Guns N’ Roses. They released their debut studio album titled Rock Star Supernova on November 21, 2006. It was released through Epic Records and charted at #101 on the Billboard 200. However, it reached 4th place on the Canadian Albums Chart and was certified ‘Platinum’.

    As part of the band he founded titled Newsted, he released his debut studio album, Heavy Metal Music on August 6, 2013. It consisted of tracks such as Nocturnus, Ampossible, …As the Crow Flies, Soldierhead, Heroic Dose, Long Time Dead, Above All, King of the Underdogs, Twisted Tail of the Comet, Kindevillusion, Futureality, and Nocturnus.

    First TV Show

    Jason Newsted made his first TV show appearance as ‘Himself’ in an episode of the music series, Headbangers Ball in August 1995.

    Jason Newsted Favorite Things

    Source – Wikipedia

    Jason Newsted Facts

  • He grew up on a farm. His parents raised him to be “a strong, pure Americana farm boy,” and he took care of hundreds of rabbits and chickens.
  • One of his 2 older brothers plays the trumpet.
  • He learned to play the guitar at the age of 9 but moved to bass guitar at the age of 14.
  • In October 1986, when he auditioned to be the bassist for Metallica, there was a competition of around 50 other competent people that wanted the same spot.
  • He would like to be credited for “stabilizing” Metallica after the death of their bassist in 1986, after which he took over. James Hetfield and Kirk Hemmett stated that he was an easy target for the band’s frustration, anger, and grief, but took the “beating” with his goofy attitude and positivity.
  • James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett also added that Jason was a “huge fan” of the band when he joined. Instead, they needed him to be a “hardcore” member and play something different instead of following their lead.
  • In one of the interviews, both James Hetfield and Kirk thought that he gave 100% during live concerts because he didn’t have enough space to shine through as a bassist on studio albums.
  • On October 23, 2006, Jason tore his anterior labrum in his left shoulder as well as the biceps and shoulder rotator cuff in the right arm. He tried to catch a falling bass amp head unsuccessfully, had to be hospitalized, operated on, and spent a long time in rehab. Since he couldn’t play, he started painting at his girlfriend’s suggestion. He picked up his bass guitar for the 1st time on January 4, 2007.
  • Jason created numerous art pieces and opened his 1st gallery show on May 4, 2010, the “Star Wars Day”. He hosted it at the Micaëla Gallery in San Francisco, California, United States.
  • On April 4, 2009, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with his Metallica band members. At the ceremony, he got to play bass guitar with Robert Trujillo, who took over his place as a bassist for the band in 2003.
  • Jason stated that it wasn’t easy to leave Metallica but that he never regretted it. He also suffered painful injuries in his neck and back from all the headbanging he did. His doctor told him to stop doing that back in 1990. However, Jason continued as he felt he would let down the fans that came to the concert.
  • In 2017, he was selling a ranch he owned in Sula, Ravalli, Montana, United States, for $4.95 million.
  • In late August 2019, Jason announced that his 6729 square feet, 5-bedroom, 5-bedroom house built on a 1.37-acre lot in Walnut Creek, California, was up for grabs. He listed the price at $2.89 million.
  • Visit his official website @ newstedheavymetal.com.
  • He is not active on social media.

    • Featured Image by Achim Raschka / Wikimedia / CC BY-SA 3.0

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